A diary of life in rural Redwood, Co. Tipperary as told by a city girl

So I’ve made quite a few Tuscan Plum Tarts, Plum Jam, Plum Chutney, so why not Plum Vodka? This recipe I discovered when trawling through Country Harvest (Linda Burgess & Rosamond Richardson). An old book that has been in the house for years but one that comes into its own at this time of year. There are all sorts of combinations and recipes in there!

Before you go rushing off to gather your ingredients…….. here’s the rub….. the final paragraph….. “store in a cool, dark place for 3 months. Strain off the fruit, pour the vodka into a clean bottle and seal tightly. For best results, store for 1 year before drinking!”

So you see as it’s my first time making this…. it might be Christmas next year before I can tell you whether it’s worth it or not! 🙂

If you are willing to journey into the unknown, here’s what you need.

Ingredients:

450 g (1 lb) wild plums or damsons, halved and stoned

100 g (4 oz) granulated sugar

1.1 litres (2 pints) vodka

Method:

Put the plums/damsons (I actually did a mix of both) into a large, clean bottle and add the sugar through a funnel. Add the vodka, seal and shake well. Continue to shake daily until the sugar has dissolved and the vodka takes on the colour of the fruit – this took about 7 or 8 days.

Then follow the instructions above about storing for 3 months etc.

And another word of warning…. by the time you’ve stoned so many plums and damsons your hands and nails look revolting!

We made a lemon vodka once with an enormous lemon that we smuggled back to the US from Sicily. It was one of the best things I have ever tasted. This looks so so so so yummy. I would suffer the revolting looking nails for the end result.

Help! I started making plum vodka earlier this week, and my recipe said to put plums in jars with sugar, spices, and vodka, inverting the jar daily for two weeks before storing in a cool place for three months. after four days or so of doing this I noticed this morning that some of the juices leaking onto the counter and the rings look like they’re bending outward from the pressure inside the jar. At this point Im almost afraid to take the lids off, but I don’t want 2 quart jars of glass and sugar water throughout my kitchen. What to do??

I’d be inclined to open them… it does sound like it has started to ferment! And, as you say, you don’t want it to explode! I usually just soak the fruit in the vodka/alcohol first, then make a sugar syrup to add afterwards. Sorry I can’t be more helpful… fingers crossed it will be okay.